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Lei Carnation
The Hawaiians confused the word
carnation with the word coronation thus Hawaiian for carnation is poni
mo'i meaning to crown a king or queen. The missionary women of
New England are credited with the introduction of this native of
Eurasia sometime before Kalakaua's reign. It was a favorite of
the "Merry Monarch." With their small, fine scented
flowers, they quickly became a favorite material for leis. One
had red and white flowers and was called hae-Hawai'i (Hawaiian
flag). Like other early imports which were dark red, very
delicate pink, light red, white, magenta and very shocking pink, the
hae-Hawai'i was finely scented and very popular for leis on boat days,
graduations, proms, dates and anniversaries.
Carnations were cultivated in
the Koko Crater area on O'ahu especially to meet the demands of the
fast growing tourist industry. In 1900, gardens in Pauoa
supplied lei sellers at the piers with carnations and other lei
flowers. Japanese and Korean farmers leased small parcels of
land along Lunalilo Home Road and soon their "carnation
plantations" were familiar sights.
The white carnation lei is
usually given to women and the red tot eh men: white being femininely
pure and withdrawn - red representing masculine boldness, strength and
power.
Reference: Ka Lei, The
Leis of Hawaii by Marie A. McDonald
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